Stapleton Community Meeting Minutes

Denver Public Schools

William (Bill) Roberts K-8 School

2100 Akron Way
Denver, CO 80238-3087

August 5, 2009 ~ 6:45PM – 8:15PM

These notes were taken by members of the SUN Education Committee.

They were not recorded nor transcribed; therefore human error or oversight is possible.

Please note that presentation materials are available at the bottom of this webpage.

Bill De La Cruz, facilitator:

• Recognized Stapleton school principals.

• There will be three presentations, with 5 minutes after each for clarifying questions.

• 3x5 cards have been passed out. Please write your questions on them and the panel will try to answer them. Questions not addressed tonight will be answered later and shared with the community.

• Not everyone can have their voice heard at this meeting, but if someone says something you agree with, please raise your hand in support.

Cameron Bertron, Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA):

• My job tonight is to lay a base line information presentation so that everybody has the same basic understanding of how Stapleton financing works. It is fairly complex but I'll try to fit it in 10 min or less.

• Will talk about history of financing

• Players in Stapleton:

  • City of Denver (rezoning, environmental remediation, demolition, unencumbered title, finance reg and trunk infrastructure);

  • Forest City (purchase over 2900 acres over 15 yrs, pay $15k/acre in SDFs, land for schools, master developer);

  • Park Creek Metropolitan District (finance and construction, in-tract infrastructure, construction trunk & infrastructure)

• DURA financed the trunk infrastructure with the Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) funding.

• City of Denver created TIF (tax incremental financing) to pay for large things (large roads, parks, etc.)

• Trunk infrastructure funded by TIF. Trunk includes big city roads (like MLK. CPB), storm sewers, big parks (Central Park), fire stations.

• DPS schools paid for by TIF. Trunk infrastructure through TIF was to pay for 4 schools: 4 elementary + 1 middle school or 1 elementary + 3 K-8 schools.

• Initially thought Stapleton would need 4 elementary schools and 1 middle school.

• In-tract infrastructure funded by metropolitan district mill levy. Pays for local roads, local sewers parks, local parks (pocket parks & pools). Mill levy taxes do not pay for schools.

• As Stapleton develops from being an empty airport into a residential neighborhood, extra taxes (new money created by houses and commercial property) goes to DURA. They bond against it going out 25 yrs (to 2024) to create money on day one of development to pay for roads and schools. Great way for Stapleton to “pay for itself” but firefighters and teachers do still need to be paid by city and DPS.

• In 1999, it was estimated that it'd cost $674 million to build infrastructure. Pie charts on slide show

  • $328m in-tract

  • $294m TIF

  • $44m SDF

  • $8m Builders

  • $346m trunk

  • $163m roads, sewers, and drainage

  • $97m facilities (including schools)

  • $78m OP&R

  • $8m water

• The DURA bonds are issued in developmental phases, not all at once.

  • Phase 1 = Quebec Square, Town Center, 1300 houses, Westerly Creek campus. 2001 bonds = $73 million

  • Phase 2 = 2300 houses, built out to where Eastbridge Town Center will be, down south to Montview, include Bill Roberts School, Central Park, Northfield. 2004 bonds = $176m

  • Good Citizen = $29m to pay for Central Park North neighborhood and industrial area at Havana and I-70

  • Total to date = $279m

• There can be no additional DURA debt until there is additional development to issue against.

• There will be no more bonds issued until more development starts to generate additional property taxes and sales tax.

• On a side note, CPB was funded completely outside of this funding mechanism. This is good news for Stapleton b/c it will make property around bridge more viable/developable and will make access to Northfield retail better. This will generate more taxes and allow more development to start north of I70. Once this happens, it puts DURA in a better position to issue more bonds.

Bill De La Cruz, facilitator:

• One clarifying question please

• Q: Why was another bond not issued in 2007 when the economy was good?

• A: Every house built since 2004 was bonded against in 2004. They issued debt against those houses, the Northfield mall, and everything developed since then. There is no way to issue another bond until new development begins. If the performance of the bonds were better, that could help generate some $, but with the current economy, that's not happening and unlikely to happen in the near future.

Brian Weber, Stapleton Foundation:

• School survey recently conducted to get ideas about population growth and what the community wants.

• 1273 responses out of 4100 households. Approx 30% response rate.

• Likely that the survey responses are not representative of entire community as respondents most likely to be families with children. Cannot extrapolate data.

• There were 653 comments on final page of survey.

• Link to survey results will be on the Stapleton Foundations site (http://www.stapletonfoundation.org/media/EDocs/StapletonschoolsurveyPPt8509.pdf) on August 6.

• Justin Silverstein, a member of the community, will present survey data.

• 95% of respondents are homeowners, 3% renters, 2% other

• Over 60% plan to stay in Stapleton for 10+ years.

• 1700 children 6 yrs or younger based on survey (assume that people who took the survey are more likely to have kids. Can't extrapolate.)

• 20%+ plan to add onto family, 8% currently expecting. This means at least an additional 350 kids in near future.

• Majority of respondents currently attend DPS school or attend private preschool but plan to go to DPS for K (36% attend BR, 18% WC).

• How important is it to have a school within walking/biking distance? 90% said very important or important for elementary school. Slightly less important for middle school.

• 95% said important/very important that children attend Stapleton neighborhood school. Proximity to school outweighed “children having educational options that meet their needs regardless of location.”

• Respondents less willing to travel to schools outside of neighborhood if there is no space in Stapleton (aka forced), but more willing if it's a choice.

• Most urgent perceived need right now is elementary school.

• Residents want the schools within Stapleton.

• Small class size is very important to respondents.

• Residents seem to like charters if there is preference for Stapleton residents.

• If you look at survey results online, remember that 1- highest, so lowest number = highest importance.

Ethan Hemming, Denver Public Schools:

• Presentation of Stapleton demographic data.

• In 2005, there were 527 students in Stapleton Schools, 2006 = 750 students, 2007 = 938 students, 2008 =1319 students (688 BR, 370 WC). Capacity at Stapleton schools is 1505. We are approaching that.

• Denver has open enrollment policy--kids can go to any schools as long as there is space and they're willing to drive. Even students outside of Denver allowed in if there is space.

• In beginning, 64% of students in Stapleton schools came from neighborhood, now 82% do. Choiced in students are similar between then and now.

• Most choiced in students are in middle school grades.

• Schools that Stapleton residents attend if not staying in neighborhood = Polaris, Denver school of Arts, Philips.

• Odyssey has about 30% of its students coming from Stapleton. DSST is 15%. Anticipated that once Denver Language School comes to NE Denver, will be about 30% Stapleton students.

• Projections: confident about 2010 and 2011; less certainty 3-4 years out.

  • 2009, near capacity

  • 2010/2011 school year, 150-200 kids over capacity

  • 2011/2012, 300-500 kids over capacity

• Will require significant additional capacity in 2011.

• When Stapleton first developed, yield factor was 26%. Expected that ¼ of households in Stapleton would have children. This is used to calculate a lower projection.

• Higher projection based on data provided by developer, home sales. Usually need 10 years of historic data to accurately project, but don't have that in Stapleton. Higher projection estimates increase in children for the next two years.

• DPS believes higher projection to be more accurate. The latest Stapleton Foundation survey data (40% of families have children) fits higher projection.

• 800-900 homes sold in 2005.

• Date of home sale and date of when children appear in schools after moving in differ in Stapleton than other Denver neighborhoods.

Q&A with Panel:

Panel: Michael Hancock, City Council District 11; Kevin Patterson, DPS Board of Education; Amy Mueller, City of Denver; David Suppes, Denver Public Schools; Brian Weber, Stapleton Foundation; Cameron Bertron, Denver Urban Renewal Authority; Tom Gleason, Forest City.

• Will start Q&A with list of questions collected from community.

• Fill out 3x5 cards with questions now.

Q: Will DPS cap BR & WC? Send overflow to surrounding schools? If so, will transportation be provided?

A: Kevin Patterson, DPS: Will try to stay at 85-95% of capacity understanding that some classes will be larger/smaller. Transportation would have to be looked at separately, b/c it's usually provided for magnet schools. Will get back with options in mid-October. No schools currently ID'd to send Stapleton overflow to.

Q from audience: When will we have the schools our kids will go to? We want details! When will we have plans? What are the specific options, when will we know them, and who is responsible?

A: David Suppes, DPS: Over the next few months, we plan to make recommendations. Goal is to have decisions by Dec 2010.

Q: Why aren't the options being told to us now?

A: David Suppes: DPS did not intend to propose a plan by now. A couple possibilities include examining preschool programs and serving 3 yr olds. Could it be discontinued? It is not provided elsewhere in district. Modular buildings might be a temporary solution. There is also some space at nearby schools not in Stapleton.

Q: In April or May, we were told there would be options in a few months. Now it is August. We need to make decision for our families now. Can we be part of the process? Can the community be involved?

A: David Suppes: We will work with you over the next couple months. We want to get input from the community. By mid October, we will have options to present.

Q: Why isn't Stapleton being considered for the Denver Language charter?

A: Brain Weber, Stapleton Foundation: I am one of the founders of DLS. It will not be in Stapleton because there is no where to put it. DLS, as a charter, has to have a higher proportion of free lunch students and Stapleton does not have that population to pull from. Intend to put it in Central Northeast Denver, in a neighborhood that has more a more diverse population.

Q: Is the 2008 tax referendum an option to fund a Stapleton school?

A: Kevin Patterson: The 2008 tax referendum was originally $800 mil that was trimmed to $500 mil in bonds. They issue bonds every 3-5 years to keep tax rates consistent. It would be unusual to do this again this fall and stray from the standard schedule.

Q: Why aren't you using stimulus funds for schools?

A: David Suppes: Money received for title 1 and title 6b programs, not for construction of new school buildings. Qualified school construction bonds allow us to raise debt, but it's not free money. It's not a license to authorize new debt.

Q: DURA doesn't want to issue more debt, but we need new schools now. Why can't DURA issue more debt?

A: Cameron Bertron, DURA: It's not an issue of want. We're mandated contractually. The only thing DURA can issue bonds against is property/sales tax generated at Stapleton. Everything generated to date as already been pledged to the bond holders in 2004 to repay debt we've already issued. So unless home values go up, or retails sales go up, nothing can happen. Currently, everything is tapped. The only way to issue more debt would be if more things were built. A limitation by state statue is DURA only has 25 years to issue debt. Can only go out to 2024. Debt capacity is maxed out at this time. No one is voluntarily not issuing debt.

Q: Why are out of district students in Stapleton DPS schools?

A: Ethan Hemming, DPS: It's not a bad thing to have children out of district kids come to DPS, except that we're now reaching capacity. First tool is to ratchet down choice. This could have been done a few years ago but it wasn't done b/c at the time, people wanted to fill the schools.

Q: What is the sibling policy for choice?

A: Siblings have the highest priority you can get.

Q: I was told that one identical twin could get in to a Stapleton school, but not the other. Twin policy?

A: Find me afterwards, and I'll talk to you.

Q: Where is public art money coming from? Is that a higher priority than schools?

A: Cameron Burtron: DURA has issued $275 million in bonds. 1% of that is required to be for public art. About half of that has been spent to date. When that policy was put in place, everyone thought the funding plan was adequate. It would be possible to ask to have that money repurposed, but construction of a new schools would cost considerably more than $1-1.5 million.

Q: How many Forest City employees sit on the DURA board and how often have they chosen parks and roads above schools?

A: Cameron Burtron: No FC employees are on the board. The City of Denver, park creek metropolitan district, DPS, DURA, and FC collectively decide when funds go to a school. Remember that roads and sewers have to be in place in order to build houses to fund the TIF to generate the money for building schools. I would caution people not to pit roads against schools, etc.

Q: What will Forest City do to maximize revenues? Can rent to small businesses be lowered to increase tax revenues?

A: Tom Gleason, Forest City: All businesses are struggling. FC has adjusted rents for smaller retailers. (i.e., Fiore flower shop and veterinary hospital in Town Center.)

Q: Does Forest City understand the impact this will have on Stapleton's success? Will they donate land or money?

A: Tom Gleason: We do understand that quality schools are crucial. FC has put in $79 m worth of land and donated $44 m worth of land for parks. The land for BR was donated by FC (value = approx $3 m). Land for DSST (approx worth $4 m) also donated.

Q: Why are we spending money on a library and recreation center right now when we need a school?

A: Amy Mueller, City of Denver: We created a list of what the city needed and voters approved it two years ago. By law, we need to go forward with that. The City did not ask voters for money to build new schools.

Q: Can we close enrollment in BR and WC to Stapleton residents only?

A: Kevin Patterson: We may consider closing enrollment to other kids so only Stapleton kids can go there. Temporary classrooms is also one of the options. There is currently no plan for schools other than a charter because charter schools are quicker to fashion and react. There needs to be lots of collaboration from all entities to come up with short, mid and long term solutions.

Q: What is the cost to build a new school?

A: David Suppes: $12-$14m for elementary, BR K-8 was $17m, middle school is $20m. A school takes 18 months to build, provided that the location and design have been finalized. Green Valley Ranch campus will be done in 18 months.

Q: What can be done to utilize CCI/Amandala facility that lost its charter?

A: David Suppes: This school is located N of I70. It is not owned by DPS, but rather a bond holder. The charter went out last year and the bond holder may consider other charters.

Q: How did Green Valley Ranch get a school built so quickly without needing it?

A: David Suppes: They were beyond capacity and did need it. They had over 1000 kids choicing out. There was a very significant capacity need and the board members and city council strongly supported building a school there in the last bond.

Q: Stapleton residents pay some of the highest taxes in the city. Where does this money go?

A: Cameron Burtron: Stapleton does pay a higher than average property taxes. Stapleton has an additional mill levy above Denver taxes which goes entirely to the community—roads, pools, maintenance. Additionally, Stapleton property taxes get spent exclusively in Stapleton for schools, parks, roads. All of the money collected stays in the neighborhood. This is unique to Stapleton.

Q: What properties was DURA expecting to be built for the bonds to be available for a 3^rd school?

A: Cameron Burtron: DURA never planned to build a 3^rd school in 2009. It was not in the original projection. In 2004, we were told there was a need for one school, so BR K-8 was funded. There are more children in the houses that got built since 2004 than expected.

Q: Can DURA's next bond cover the costs of building two schools?

A: Cameron Burtron: We don't know when the next DURA bond will be or for how much, so we don't know if another school or two can be built.

Q: Is it true that the soil on the site for the 3^rd school is contaminated?

A: Tom Gleason: The proposed 3^rd school site was 26^th and Iola. Forest City has not purchased that land from the city because the soil is still contaminated. AIG is the insurer for the remediation and that's part of the problem.

Q: When will the Eastbridge Town Center open to help support TIF?

A: Tom Gleason: We wanted to open it more than a year ago. The community has said that a natural foods store is important. We have talked to many grocers but b/c of uncertainty in the economy and in Stapleton, we've been unable to sign a grocer. Once a grocer is signed and the town center is 50% leased, it will be built.

Q: Why not stop funding ECE3 and ECE4 to pay for a new K-8?

A: David Suppes: DPS gets money from the state, some of it from property taxes, to fund K-12. In Denver, only tuition and the Denver Preschool Program pays for preschool. Cutting these programs doesn't provide additional funding for K-12.

Q: Who is accountable moving forward?

A: David Suppes: DPS is committed to working with the community on solutions. Today though, financing a $15 million school can't be done by DPS alone. We need to talk to various parties to come up with solutions—both temporary and for building a new school.

Q: It seems like DPS' projections are low, given the survey data we've seen.

A: Ethan Hemming: The survey data will be used to revise projections.

Q: Who estimated that ¼ of houses would have children when Forest City markets strongly to families?

A: Ethan Hemming: Before Stapleton was built, it was a blank slate. This was our best estimate, based on evidence from elsewhere in Denver.

Q: Can Odyssey move so that their half of the WC campus can be used?

A: Brian Weber: The Odyssey side of the school was built for the Odyssey program. Their unique program dictated the space (i.e. classrooms are larger). It would have to be remodeled to be used as a DPS school. Odyssey was one of the first things built in Stapleton and at the time, choice was very important. DPS has a commitment to Odyssey; it is one of their highest performing schools. Their contract ends in 2010/2011 and the Odyssey board is considering options to locate elsewhere so that they can expand (possibly double in size). No decision have been made about this yet. Odyssey has 225 students.

A: Marcia Fulton, Executive Director of Odyssey: We are very committed to staying in Stapleton. 32% of families at our school are from Stapleton. In K-3, it is 42%. We do weight the lottery. If you have questions, please contact me.

Q: Has the Denver Language School facility been selected?

A: Brian Weber: No facility has been chosen yet. We're talking with DPS about using a facility in NE Denver. There will be no priority for Stapleton residents.

Q: How will you get 30% of DLS' students from Stapleton then?

A: The interest in DLS is primarily from Stapleton, so through random lottery, we think we can get 30%.

Q: Will Forest City donate money for the 3^rd school?

A: Tom Gleason: FC is committed to donating land for the 3^rd and 4^th school.

Q: Why doesn't Forest City start marketing to old people?

A: We market all across the board. The first apartment building here was senior living at Clyborn.

Q: What is the cost of the Central Park Blvd interchange?

A: Amy Mueller: $70 million (includes bond $, stimulus funds, and FC $). Construction begins this fall. The goal is to be done by end 2010.

Q: Any possibility to transfer bonds to a school in Stapleton? Can any of the construction savings be used in Stapleton?

A: Kevin Patterson: It is possible. We have a committee that looks at city-wide issues and we could ask them. Construction savings could possibly be used as well.

Q: What high school will Stapleton students go to?

A: Kevin Patterson: Currently, George Washington. The land for a new Stapleton high school North of I70 was purchased with the last bond. Construction costs were not included in that bond.

Q: Does Forest City have a backup plan for when a mass exodus of Stapleton residents occurs?

A: Tom Gleason: We are doing everything we can to prevent that.

Q: Marketing materials used to sell homes showed a K-8 school. What is Forest City's profit in Stapleton to date?

A: This is a 25 year development, so we can't answer that to date.

Michael Hancock, City Council:

• This issue is extremely important. Please know that it has not fallen on deaf ears. We're going to all work together for a solution. Senator Mike Johnston and I will work with groups in Stapleton. September 14 is scheduled to be a Stapleton United Neighbors (SUN) and City Council Forum. I propose that we talk about schools and education, the most important issue on that agenda, further at that time.

Mike Johnston, Senator:

• I live in Stapleton with two year old twin boys so I am part of the demographic problem.

• I was drawn here for three reasons. One, I wanted my kids to go to a high quality school. Two, I wanted a school close to home. And three, I wanted a diverse school.

• I have a vested interest in this issue. I'm excited to work with Michael Hancock, Forest City, and Denver. We will do a follow-up on Sept 14. We may even have some beers at houses for grassroots input.

Marc Waxman, Executive Director of the DPS Office of School Reform and Innovation:

• All stakeholders are engaged and working towards a solution.

• DPS is deeply concerned about meeting the community's needs.

• In the next few weeks, DPS will determine the best set of solutions. We will engage the community around that solution set in the fall. By winter, we will present the final set of solutions and begin implementing them forward.

• Visit the DPS website to communicate with them.